Successful in Different Languages
Discover 'Successful' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'successful' is a powerful term that signifies achieving desired results or realizing one's goals. Its significance extends beyond personal achievements, as it also represents cultural importance in various societies. Success is often associated with hard work, determination, and resilience, making it a universal concept that resonates with people worldwide.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'successful' in different languages can provide valuable insights into cultural nuances and societal values. For instance, the German translation, 'erfolgreich,' not only means successful but also implies a sense of continuity and sustainability. Meanwhile, the Chinese translation, '成功 (chénggōng),' emphasizes the importance of perseverance and overcoming obstacles.
As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, knowing the translation of 'successful' in various languages can help bridge cultural gaps and foster global understanding. Here are some translations of the word 'successful' in different languages:
Successful
Successful in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | suksesvol | ||
| The Afrikaans word "suksesvol" is derived from the Latin word "successor," meaning "to follow after" or "to inherit." | |||
| Amharic | ስኬታማ | ||
| The word "skétammA" originates from the Ge'ez word "sakata" which denotes accomplishment or realization. | |||
| Hausa | nasara | ||
| The Hausa word "nasara" also refers to "Christians" and "Europeans," with a likely etymological relationship to "Nazarene." | |||
| Igbo | ịga nke ọma | ||
| The Igbo word "ịga nke ọma" literally translates to "going on the right path" or "progressing well." | |||
| Malagasy | mahomby | ||
| "Mahomby" is thought to be derived from the Arabic phrase "mahomed by", meaning "praised by Mohamed," which is also the origin of the English word "Muhammadan" | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wopambana | ||
| "Wopambana" can also mean 'well-made', 'well-done', or 'handsome' in Nyanja. | |||
| Shona | kubudirira | ||
| In the Karanga dialect of Shona, 'kubudirira' also implies 'to become good enough.' | |||
| Somali | guuleystay | ||
| The word "guuleystay" is derived from the Arabic word "ghaalib" which means "victorious" or "triumphant." | |||
| Sesotho | atlehile | ||
| The verb 'atlehile' originates from the root '-tla', meaning to seize or acquire. | |||
| Swahili | kufanikiwa | ||
| The Swahili word "kufanikiwa" is derived from the Arabic word "fanaka", meaning "to succeed" or "to prosper". | |||
| Xhosa | uphumelele | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "uphumelele" carries additional meanings associated with prosperity and accomplishment. | |||
| Yoruba | aṣeyọri | ||
| The word "aṣeyọri" in Yoruba can also refer to a "lucky charm" or "amulet." | |||
| Zulu | uphumelele | ||
| Uphumelele derives from the verb -phumelela, meaning 'to succeed' and is cognate with the verb -phumela 'bear fruit'. | |||
| Bambara | sanga sɔrɔ | ||
| Ewe | dze edzi | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gutsinda | ||
| Lingala | kolonga | ||
| Luganda | okuyita | ||
| Sepedi | atlegile | ||
| Twi (Akan) | yie | ||
Successful in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ناجح | ||
| The Arabic word "ناجح" is often translated as "successful," but its literal meaning is "one who achieves a goal. | |||
| Hebrew | מוּצלָח | ||
| The word "מוּצלָח" also means "well-born" or "noble" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | بریالی | ||
| The word "بریالی" ("successful") in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "پیروزی" ("victory"), and also means "victory" or "conquest" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | ناجح | ||
| The Arabic word "ناجح" is often translated as "successful," but its literal meaning is "one who achieves a goal. | |||
Successful in Western European Languages
| Albanian | e suksesshme | ||
| The word "e suksesshme" (successful) is derived from the Latin word "successus", which means "favorable result". | |||
| Basque | arrakastatsua | ||
| The word "arrakastatsua" is derived from the Basque words "arrakasta" (success) and "du" (to have), and literally means "to have success." | |||
| Catalan | amb èxit | ||
| In Old Catalan, "amb èxit" literally means "with outcome", hinting at the broader sense of the word as not just accomplishment but also its consequences. | |||
| Croatian | uspješno | ||
| In addition to the meaning "successful", the word "uspješno" can also mean "fortunately" in the sense of expressing relief or satisfaction. | |||
| Danish | vellykket | ||
| In some contexts, "vellykket" can also be translated to "achieved" or "accomplished." | |||
| Dutch | succesvol | ||
| Het woord succesvol komt van het Latijnse 'succedere', wat 'omhoogkomen' betekent. | |||
| English | successful | ||
| Successful derives from the Latin word 'successus' meaning 'an advance to wealth' and a 'favorable issue' | |||
| French | réussi | ||
| The French word "réussi" originates from the Latin word "res" (thing) and the suffix "-it" (to do), and it originally meant "to bring something to a successful conclusion". | |||
| Frisian | suksesfol | ||
| The Frisian word 'suksesfol' is derived from the Latin word 'successus', which means 'advancement'. | |||
| Galician | exitoso | ||
| In Galician, "exitoso" also means "to leave or to get out". | |||
| German | erfolgreich | ||
| The German adjective "erfolgreich" is derived from the Middle High German word "erfolgen," meaning "to follow" or "to happen". Thus, "erfolgreich" originally meant "following after" or "happening after something". | |||
| Icelandic | vel heppnað | ||
| Vel heppnað also refers to a type of Icelandic fish, the ling, and can be found in the names of various ships. | |||
| Irish | rathúil | ||
| Rathúil may also be used to mean "lucky," coming from the old Irish "rod." | |||
| Italian | riuscito | ||
| "Riuscito" comes from the Latin word "res" meaning "thing" or "matter", and originally meant "completed" or "accomplished". | |||
| Luxembourgish | erfollegräich | ||
| The word "erfollegräich" is derived from the German word "erfolgreich", which means "successful". | |||
| Maltese | suċċess | ||
| The Maltese word "suċċess" is derived from the Italian word "successo", which also means "success". | |||
| Norwegian | vellykket | ||
| The word “vellykket” etymologically refers to “good luck” and “fortune.” | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | bem sucedido | ||
| The origin of "bem sucedido" lies in the successful transplantation of a grapevine cutting, so now its Portuguese meaning, "successful," also implies growth from a new beginning. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | soirbheachail | ||
| The feminine form ‘soirbheachail’ can only be applied to a female subject or a feminine noun. | |||
| Spanish | exitoso | ||
| "Exitoso" also means "abundant" or, in the sense of "success in reproduction," "fecund." | |||
| Swedish | framgångsrik | ||
| "Framgångsrik" can also mean "fortunate" or "favored". | |||
| Welsh | yn llwyddiannus | ||
| The Welsh word 'yn llwyddiannus' originally meant 'to be in a state of grace' or 'to be favoured by God'. | |||
Successful in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паспяховы | ||
| "Паспяховы" is an adjective in Belarusian, which is derived from the word "поспех" (success) and it also has other meanings such as 'opportune', 'timely', or even 'convenient'. | |||
| Bosnian | uspješno | ||
| The word 'uspješno' also means 'satisfactorily' or 'adequately' in Bosnian. | |||
| Bulgarian | успешен | ||
| The word "успешен" in Bulgarian can also mean "fruitful" or "effective" | |||
| Czech | úspěšný | ||
| The word "úspěšný" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ob-pěxъ, meaning "to grasp, to seize". | |||
| Estonian | edukas | ||
| The word "edukas" is derived from the word "edu" meaning "to progress" or "to grow". It can also mean "fortunate" or "prosperous". | |||
| Finnish | onnistunut | ||
| The Finnish word "onnistunut" is derived from the noun "onni," meaning "luck" or "fortune," suggesting that success is often attributed to chance or favorable circumstances. | |||
| Hungarian | sikeres | ||
| The word "sikeres" comes from the Hungarian word "siker", which means "victory", "success", or "achievement". It is related to the Proto-Uralic root *seker-, which also means "to win" or "to conquer". | |||
| Latvian | veiksmīgs | ||
| "Veiksmīgs" is cognate to "vigorous" and "victory", and can also mean “efficient” in Latvian. | |||
| Lithuanian | pasisekė | ||
| "Pasisekė" can be broken down into "pasiekiu" (reach) + "-ė" (suffix indicating the past tense), implying the successful attainment of a goal. | |||
| Macedonian | успешна | ||
| The word "успешна" (successful) in Macedonian could refer to both personal and professional achievements, implying that it is not limited to a specific domain. | |||
| Polish | odnoszący sukcesy | ||
| The Polish word "odnoszący sukcesy" comes from the prefix "od" (which means "from" or "away from") and the root "nosić" (which means "to carry"). Thus, the word literally means "carrying away from" and suggests that successful people are able to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. | |||
| Romanian | de succes | ||
| "De succes" in Romanian also means "of success" or "for success". | |||
| Russian | успешный | ||
| The word "успешный" has additional meanings of "proficient" and "capable", as well as a related meaning of "lucky" or "fortunate". | |||
| Serbian | успешан | ||
| The Serbian word "успешан" also means "well-off" and "prosperous". | |||
| Slovak | úspešný | ||
| The word "úspešný" in Slovak comes from the same root as the word "success" in English, and has similar meanings in both languages. | |||
| Slovenian | uspešno | ||
| The word 'uspešno' has many meanings, including 'successfully,' 'prosperous,' 'fortunate,' 'prosperously,' 'lucky,' 'auspiciously,' 'felicitous,' 'felicitatory,' and 'well-starred'. | |||
| Ukrainian | успішний | ||
| The word "успішний" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*ǫspĕti", meaning "to arrive" or "to reach". | |||
Successful in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | সফল | ||
| ফল = outcome. স = together + ফল = success. The word is often used to mean 'attained a particular end', as opposed to 'succeeded'. | |||
| Gujarati | સફળ | ||
| The word "સફળ" comes from the Sanskrit word "सफल" which means "having achieved success". It is also used in other Indian languages such as Hindi and Marathi with the same meaning. | |||
| Hindi | सफल | ||
| "सफल" (safal) is derived from "साध" (sadh) meaning to achieve or accomplish. It also has a second meaning of "good" or "auspicious" | |||
| Kannada | ಯಶಸ್ವಿಯಾಗಿದೆ | ||
| The word ಯಶಸ್ವಿಯಾಗಿದೆ is derived from the Sanskrit word 'siddhi', meaning 'attainment', 'accomplishment', or 'perfection'. | |||
| Malayalam | വിജയിച്ചു | ||
| The Malayalam word "വിജയിച്ചു" (successful) is derived from the Sanskrit word "विजय" (victory), which also has the connotation of "accomplishing a goal" or "achieving success". | |||
| Marathi | यशस्वी | ||
| The word "यशस्वी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "यश" meaning "fame" or "glory". | |||
| Nepali | सफल | ||
| The word "सफल" also has a secondary meaning of "fruitful" or "productive" in Nepali. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਫਲ | ||
| The word "ਸਫਲ" in Punjabi can also mean "fruitful" or "bearing fruit". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | සාර්ථක | ||
| The Sinhalese word "සාර්ථක" (sārthaka) is also used in a broader sense to mean "fruitful" or "meaningful". | |||
| Tamil | வெற்றிகரமாக | ||
| Telugu | విజయవంతమైంది | ||
| The word విజయవంతమైంది is derived from the Sanskrit word “vijaya” which means “victory” and is also used to describe something that has been achieved or accomplished. | |||
| Urdu | کامیاب | ||
| The word "کامیاب" originally meant "having a successful outcome" or "achieving one's goals". Over time, its meaning shifted to simply "successful" or "having achieved some degree of success". The word's literal translation is "one who has achieved his or her desires". | |||
Successful in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 成功的 | ||
| "成" 在中文里是“完成、成就”的意思，而 "功" 指的是“事”、“效用”，所以 "成功" 其实就是“完成有意义的事情”的意思。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 成功的 | ||
| 成功 is also a Chinese idiom meaning “to achieve or obtain.” | |||
| Japanese | 成功 | ||
| 成功 (seikō) can also mean “to succeed” or “to accomplish”. | |||
| Korean | 성공한 | ||
| The Korean word "성공한" can also mean "accomplished" or "achieved". | |||
| Mongolian | амжилттай | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အောင်မြင်တယ် | ||
Successful in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sukses | ||
| In Old Javanese, the word "sukses" also means "to end" or "to finish". | |||
| Javanese | sukses | ||
| "Sukses" in Javanese also refers to the ability to overcome challenges or achieve something that has been previously unattainable. | |||
| Khmer | ទទួលបានជោគជ័យ | ||
| Lao | ປະສົບຜົນ ສຳ ເລັດ | ||
| Malay | berjaya | ||
| The word "berjaya" in Malay also means "to achieve a goal" or "to reach a destination". | |||
| Thai | ประสบความสำเร็จ | ||
| The word "ประสบความสำเร็จ" can also mean "to achieve a goal" or "to accomplish something". | |||
| Vietnamese | thành công | ||
| In Sino-Vietnamese, "thành công" shares characters with Chinese "成功", with the first character meaning "to become" and the second meaning "to attain." | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matagumpay | ||
Successful in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | uğurlu | ||
| "Uğurlu" shares its etymology with the word "uğur" ("luck"), highlighting its association with positive outcomes and a sense of good fortune. | |||
| Kazakh | сәтті | ||
| The word "сәтті" in Kazakh can also mean "lucky" or "fortunate" | |||
| Kyrgyz | ийгиликтүү | ||
| It derives from | |||
| Tajik | муваффақ | ||
| The word "муваффақ" ultimately traces its origins to the Arabic word "وفق" meaning "to agree" or "to match". | |||
| Turkmen | üstünlikli | ||
| Uzbek | omadli | ||
| The Uzbek word "omadli" not only means "successful", but also "prominent" or "renowned". | |||
| Uyghur | مۇۋەپپەقىيەتلىك | ||
Successful in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūleʻa | ||
| "Kūleʻa" also means "cool, pleasant, refreshing, sweet, or calm". | |||
| Maori | angitu | ||
| The word | |||
| Samoan | manuia | ||
| In Samoan, 'manuia' can also refer to a blessing or favor, rather than simply 'success'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | matagumpay | ||
Successful in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | aski | ||
| Guarani | hekovepo'a | ||
Successful in International Languages
| Esperanto | sukcesa | ||
| The Esperanto word "sukcesa" is derived from the Latin word "succedere", which means "to come after" or "to follow". It can also mean "to turn out well" or "to be fortunate", which is why it is often used in English to describe someone who is successful. | |||
| Latin | felix | ||
| The name “Felix” was commonly given to boys born under the sign of Gemini, to encourage auspiciousness and luck. | |||
Successful in Others Languages
| Greek | επιτυχής | ||
| The word επιτυχής originates from the ancient Greek word "τύχη" (pronounced "tee-hee"), meaning "fortune" or "luck" | |||
| Hmong | muaj kev vam meej | ||
| Muaj kev vam meej is etymologically connected to "wealth" and "having a good heart." | |||
| Kurdish | serfiraz | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, “serfiraz” (successful) is also used to describe someone who is “handsome” or “beautiful” in Kurdish. | |||
| Turkish | başarılı | ||
| "Başarılı", also means "brave" in Ottoman Turkish, deriving from the verb "başarmak" (to achieve, to succeed). | |||
| Xhosa | uphumelele | ||
| In Xhosa, the word "uphumelele" carries additional meanings associated with prosperity and accomplishment. | |||
| Yiddish | מצליח | ||
| In Yiddish, "מצליח" (matzlikh) can also refer to a "clever person" or someone who "prospers" | |||
| Zulu | uphumelele | ||
| Uphumelele derives from the verb -phumelela, meaning 'to succeed' and is cognate with the verb -phumela 'bear fruit'. | |||
| Assamese | সফল | ||
| Aymara | aski | ||
| Bhojpuri | सफल | ||
| Dhivehi | ކާމިޔާބު | ||
| Dogri | कामयाब | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | matagumpay | ||
| Guarani | hekovepo'a | ||
| Ilocano | naballigi | ||
| Krio | fɔ go bifo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سەرکەوتوو | ||
| Maithili | सफल | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯥꯏ ꯄꯥꯛꯄ | ||
| Mizo | hlawhtling | ||
| Oromo | milkaa'aa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ସଫଳ | ||
| Quechua | allinlla | ||
| Sanskrit | सफल | ||
| Tatar | уңышлы | ||
| Tigrinya | ዕውት | ||
| Tsonga | humelela | ||